Block system.



PATENTED JUNE 4, 1907.

0. c. & J.. HARPER.

BLOCK SYSTEM. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 23, 1901.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 855,571. 'PATENTED JUNE 4, 1967. G. U. & J. HARPER.

BLOCK SYSTEM.

APPLIOATIOE FILED MAR. 23, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES C. HARPER, OF ELMIRA, NEW YORK, AND JOHN HARPER, .'OF

DUNCANNON," PENNSYLVANIA.-

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 4, 1907. I

Application filed M rch 23,1907, Serial No. 364,138.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLEs'O. HARPER and JOHN HARPER, citizens of the United visual and audible indication that the road.

ahead is not clear, or conditions exist which 'requirethe train to slow up or come to a stop,

the audible indication supplementing the visual; and to provide in addition, a positive means for bringing the train to a stop if the visual and audible warnings are disregarded. Our invention consists in the elements, combinations, and arrangements of parts all as will be hereinafter fully set forth and defined in the annexed claims f I In the accompanying drawings, which are to be taken as a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a section of track showing the arrangement of the several parts of the invention as in operative connection with the semaphore. Fig. II is a side elevation of a section of track, with alocomotive thereon, showing the means in connection with the track and locomotive respectively, for causing positive stoppage of the locomotive; and Fig. III is a sectional view through the automatic air valve and its cas- Iteferring to the numerals of the drawin 1 indicates a locomotive, orother vehicle or a railway train, running upon the tracks 2.

3 indicates the standard of a semaphore signal, which is arranged adjacent to the railroad and provided at its upper end with a vertically swinging signal arm ,4, which is shifted to indicate the condition of the rail way ahead of a train, When this semaphore arm is in a pendent position, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. I, it indicates that the 'road ahead is clear, but when the same is swung upwardly at right anglesto a standard,

as shown in Fig. I, it indicates that for some reason the road ahead of the train is blocked. 5 5

The semaphore arm is operated preferabl by lever connections hereafter describe actuated by hand, compressed air, electricity, or in any other suitable way. As illustrated the semaphore arm is operated by means of a vertical rod 5, which is connected at its u per end with the heel or crank 6 of the semap ore arm, and which is raised or lowered by means of its connection at the lower end of a vertically swinging bell crank lever 7 Saidbell 6 5 crank lever is in operative connection with a reach rod 8, which is in turn operated upon by compressed 8,1101 other actuating means not shown.

The semaphore just described comprises the visible indicating means of our system. The audible signaling part of the mechanism which is in o erative connection with said visual indicating means, has an operation bearing adistinctive relation to the semaphore, and is constructed as follows:

.9 represents an inclosed casing or housing, which is arranged adjacent to the railway track, on the same side thereof as the semaphore signal." As shown, for the sake of securin rigidity, and to insure that the track s all not move independently of the housing, we prefer to make said housing in the form of a hollow extension of one of the ties; Reciprocatory within said housing is a link 10, pivoted at one end to the arm 11 of a bell crank lever pivoted to a member 12 adjacent the housing 9 and rigid with respect thereto. The other arm 13 of said bell crank lever is pivotally attached to the reach rod 8 as by means of an adjustable screw and collar or clam connection 14. At its other end the said li 10 is pivoted to a carrier rod 15, which at its outer end is bent up as at 16 to project through a slot 17 .in the upper face 5 Said slot is arranged lone..

of the housing 9. gitudinally of the housing ,and is long-enough to permit theupturned end 16 to reciprocate therein for the purposes hereinafter set forth.

Said end 16 is plrovided with a torpedo holder 18, upon whic may be placed a detonating.v cap or torpedo which upon reciprocation of the link 10 may move into a position over or away from the adjacent track rail. Such of t e reach rod 8, the operating parts being 1 reciprocation is brought about by movement 10 5 the operation of the brakes.

- case the visib e and audi 1e signals are both disregarded. Such means comprise a ho using 19 similar to housingQ, a link 20 similar to link and having operative connections with the reach rod 8 similar to those described for the connection of 10 with the rod 8. At its other end, the link is pivotally connected to a tri lever 21 having an upwardly and forward y bent end 22 adapted to travel within a slot 23 inlike manner as the end 16 of rod 15; The end 22 is of such length that it cannot be projected over the adjacent rail 2, but is arranged so that it will extend a sufficient height above the level of the rail, and so that it may be brought sufliciently close to the side thereof to permit of its actuating a depending tappet 24 in operative connection With the air-' brake mechanism. The positive sto mechanism just described is so relativey positioned and connected with the reach rod 8 as that the trip block 22 will be brought into tappet-actuating position when the semaphore arm 4 is in danger-position.

25 represents a valve which is connected with the train pipe 26 in such manner that the opening or closing of this valve controls This valve may be mounted on any suitable art of the locomotive, tender, coach or ot er part of the train, and its plug is connected with a horizontal shaft 27, extending transversely of the car. Said shaft 27 is provided at opposite ends with a depending tappet 24 arranged outside of the rail upon which the car wheels rest. The tri block 22 being movable transversely re atively to the tracks into and out of the path of the tappet 24 aforesaid, it will be evident the brake mech anism may be controlled by movement of the reach rod 8. In Fig. III We have shown a form of valve especially adapted for use in connection with this invention. As shown the plug 28 is of respectively much smaller diameter than the inner wall of its casing 29, except for a small portion of its eriphery, indicated by the numeral'SO w ich extends outwardly approximately the full length of the radius-from the centerof the casingto the inner wall thereof. Said ortion 30 is somewhat wider than the opening 31 in the "valve shell which constitutes the exhaust port thereof. When the plu is in the osition indicated in Fig. III, wit its contro ing ta pet in the ition shown in Fig. I, the va ve is close and there is no operation visible and audi of the brakes whatsoever. If the tappet be actuated by the trip block 22 the part 30 of the plug will be moved to-u'ncover the port 31,.allowing anescape of air, and thus setting the brakes, according to a system in familiar use. Where the ordinary form of valve is used, comprising an apertured plug adapted to register with a port in the casing, it might happen that if the train were mov ing at a rapid rate of speed, the tap etwould be struck with sufficient force to t row the plug around sufliciently to bring the valve to closed osition again; but with the form of valve s own in Fig. III this is practically impossible, because when once the port 31 is uncovered, there is an escape for the air around the larger part of the periphery of the plug, and the'tappet need not be moved any exact distance in order to bring about an exhaust. The operation of this interconnected mechanism is thought to be sufficiently clear from the detailed description of parts herein-- before and further explanationwill not be attempted except to say that the positive stop mechanism is positioned intermediate the le signaling means for a very specific reason to wit:

It has heretofore been purposed to posi tion such a positive sto mechanismdirectly overa torpedo dev1ce. But this is a waste of valuable operations, inasmuchas.

up in case the semaphore signal has been dis-' regarded. If thereupon the torpedo signal is disregarded, then the positive stop will come into eflect, but the positive stop and torpedo mechanisms: 'are sufiiciently far a art, so that the train may be stopped if t e torpedo signal is heeded without subjecting the train to the wear and tear of an emergency stop. Furthermore inasmuch as all of the various signals are operated.

IIO

simultaneously, if a train is stopped by;

means of the emergency stop, it w indication that the engineer failed to obey be an,-

both the visible and-audible signal, so that there is provided a positive means for fixing the blame for any carelessness or oversight.

What we claim is:

1. In a device of the character described, a visual signal and an audible si nal in operative connection, and means a a ted to cooperate with means upon a car or eifectin positive stop age thereof, said first-name means being ocated intermediate the visual and audible si als.

2. In a device of the character described, means. moving a torpedo over a rail, means for operating a semaphore arm, said means being operatively connected and means intermediate said other means for acting upon a carto efl'ect positive stoppage ofthesame,

movin page 0 the train, and common means adaptconnected to the torpedo and semaphore mechanisms aforesaid.

3. In a-de'vice of the character described in combination, a semaphore arm, means for movin a torpedo over a rail, and means interme ate said semaphore and torpedo means for effecting positive stoped to actuate said semaphore to the danger position, at the same time that the torpedo moving means is adapted to move a torpedo over a rail and a positive stoppage means is brought into operative position.

4. A device of the character described, a

' visual signal and an audible signal in operative connectlon, a trip block in operative connction with saidvisual and audible signal and intermediate the two adapted to be moved into position to actuate a depending tappet on a car, and a depending tappet on a car controlling a valve in operative and con- I trolling relation to the 'air brake system on a' v train.

5. In a device of the character described, a

visual signal and an audible signal and a trip block in o erative connection, a tappet controlled valire on a train adapted to actuate by said trip air from said valve, said valve comprising a casing, a plug said casing, an are shaped channel around the greater part of the perimeter of said plug, shell and an enlargement of said; plug between the ends of said arc, shaped'ohannel ada ted to close said'port, substantially as set forth.

I In testimony whereof tures in presence of two witnesses.

' CHARLES (3'. HARPER. JOHN HARPER.

Witnesses: Y FRANK J. KENT, ANNA BORDNER..

we afiix our signa block "to permit the exhaust of a port msaid 

